Electrothermic motor for thermostatic systems



E. E. GOLD.

ELECTROTHERMIC MOTOR FOR THERMOSTATIC SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1918.

1,337,764. Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

VMI/WO APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1918.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR By A ltorneys, W

UNITED STATES PA EN OFFICE.

EDWARD E. GOLD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGN OR TO GOLD CAR HEATING &

' COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LIGHTING ELECTROTHERMIC MOTOR FOR THERMOSTAT-IC SYSTEMS.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed Kay 2, 1918. Serial No. 232,018.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD E. GOLD, a citizen of the United States of America, re-

' siding in the borough of Manhattan, city,

county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrothermic Motors for Thermostatic Systems, of which'the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices in which there is employed an electric heater that is thermostatically governed, and in turn controls a thermomotor for operating a valve, damper, or other actuated device for varying the efi'ect of a heating, ventilating, or simllar system. The particular purpose of mylpresent invention 1s to provide an improved form and. arrangement of electrical heating unit with reference to the thermomotor, to cause the latter to cool quickly when the electric heater is cut off,

thus obtaining prompt action of the thermomotor and a resultant more sensltlve operation. p A funther object of the invention is to adapt such a device especially to governing 1a fluid valve and provide a simplified arunit.

rangement that permits of readily applying such a thermostatic controlling unit to any valve, and readily positioning and assembling the electric conductors and other parts.

The invention is carried out in a general way by employing a supporting base that can be attached to a valve casing and forms a mounting for the entire unit. According to one possible arrangement, the electric heater is mounted upon the upper end of a standard carried by the supporting base, and the heater is positioned upon a' support which has vertical openings or other provision permitting the access of upward air currents to the underside of the heating The thermomotor is disposed above the electric heater, preferably in spaced relationship, while under the heater is a terminal support, also provided with vertical air openings and provision for receiving conductors which lead downwardly to a junction box. The latter is arranged on the supporting base under'the terminal support, and is preferably of sectional construction to permit it to be removed laterally of the vertical standard that receives the valve stem.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combina- Ztrating a preferred arrangement of the invention and showing its application to a Fig. 2- is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1; I 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on line 4'4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional, view, showing a slightly different form of heater;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the heater, and Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of the baflleplate which may be used, as in Figs. 5 and 6.

The invention is susceptible of various modifications and a plications wherever it is desirable to emp 0y 9. thermostatically governed electric heater which controls a thermomotor, the latter cooperating with a valve, damper, or other device to be actuated, and the present disclosure is intended merely by way of example and illustrates a preferred arrangement for governing a fluid valve of a vapor or steam-heating system, in accordance with the temperature of the chamber or room which is heated.

According to this arrangement, A designates a valve casing of usual type havin an inlet port B and a controlling valve C w ich is movable toward and from the seat D which forms a-stop for the valve. This structure is similar to that illustrated in my pending application Serial No. 195,501, filed October 9, 1917, and on which the present structure is an improvement. The casing A by means of an adapting sleeve such as E,

can readily be attached to any size of valve casing.

The supporting base F has air inlet 0 enings F provided with a vertical ho low standard F which is arranged centrally and receives the valve stem C. The latter carries a flange or shoulder C and'C is a sprin arrangedbetween said shoulder .and a stu ng box C and acting normally to elevate the valve stem.

G designates a thermomotor, which may be of the usual'diaphragm type, and which carries a downward projection G that enages the upper end of the valve stem C.

he thermomotor G contains a vaporizab'le liquid and is positioned horizontally, so that such liquid lies on the bottom of the lower Wall or diaphragm, and is spread out equally thereover in a shallow pool. The upper wall of the thermomotor is connected to an adjustable spindle or pin G which is threaded in a cap or plate H that will be described more fully presently. Thus, by adjusting the spindle Gr upwardly or downwardly, as by "means of a key or hand-wheel T, the effective movement of the thermomotor upon the valve stem can be varied, and by further turning the wheel T the valve C can be entirely and permanently closed, by downward movement of the thermomotor and valve stem.

The thermomotor G.is controlled by an electric heater positioned thereunder, and preferably in spaced relation, in order to permit quick cooling of the heater by circulation of air between it and the thermomotor. The heater comprises a resistance coil I which. is arranged in a support I formed of suitable non-conducting and heat-proof material. The support I has provision for permitting vertical or ascending air cur-- rents to strike the underside of the heater or resistance I and pass around all parts of the heater to effectively conduct the heat therefrom and carry theheat to the thermomotor. This is accomplished in the present embodiment by providing a support 'I' with a series of vertical openings I arranged under different parts of the resistance coil I. It will be understood that the resistance unit I is in a circuit which is opened and closed automatically by a thermostat positioned in the chamber or room to be heated,vand it is deemed unnecessary for the purposes of this application 'to make a specific disclosure of this circuit and ther-.

p ate J is constructed of suitable heat-resisting material and has a series of vertical openings J to permit free passage of air upwardly, for ventilating and cooling the electric heater. The terminal support J has terminal clips J 4 which are electrically connected to the resistance coil I, and receive the conductors K that lead to the thermostat circuit. The conductors K extend through vertical openings in the terminal support J, and pass outwardly through a junction box positioned under the terminal support J. This junction box is preferably of sectional form, comprising two parts L and L which are arranged upon opposite sides of the central standard F The sections of the junction box can be positioned and removed laterally with reference to the vertical standard F and are held in assembled relation by means-of bolts L andsecuring nuts L The conduit or tube K inclosing the electric cable 0:. conductors K is introduced laterally through the opening K shown in Fig. 2, and clamped between bosses on the parts L L of the junction box. The junction box rests upon the base F and preferably extends upwardly until it contacts with the undersurface of the terminal support J. The terminal plate J may be provided with a verti cally-extending side wall J 5 which contacts with the underside of the heater support I at its outer edge, while above the support I is a spacing ring M having a top portion M extending over the thermomotor G and serving as a rest or support for the cap H.

The latter is held in place by a series of rods N having bent ends N engaging in recesses 1n the upper surface of the. plate H. The rods N extend downwardly through the supporting base F and receive at their lower ends securing nuts N thus clamping in place the terminal support J, the heater support I, and the cap plate H. O designates a casing or side wall surrounding the rods N and having ventilating openings 0, while the spacing ring M, which is preferably formed of heat-resisting and non-conducting material, has corresponding openings,permitting the air to find an exit after it has passed upwardly around the thermo-' motor. The side casing O is held in place by a. top casing P which is clamped by a nut Q threaded upon the cap plate H. The air for ventilating the thermomotor enters through openings F in the base, passing thence upwardly through openings J 3 into contact with all portions of the heater.

The structure described affords an exceedingly practical device that permits of readily positioning the thermomotor unit and connecting the electrical conductors, and it also afl'ords proper means for sufficiently ventilating and cooling the thermomotor when the electrical heating unit is cut off. This is very essential in order that the thermomotor may respond quickly to the actions of the thermostat, as otherwise a constant or reasonably constant temperature cannot be maintained. By the ventilating and cooling system here disclosed,

the thermomotor cools very quickly after' its heater is cut off, and the resultant valve movement is' in close accordance with the operations of the electrical heater.

In place of the heater already described, I may use the form illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. This includes an annular porcelain frame R having recesses or ockets 7* arranged at opposite points. rests on a erforate baffle-plate T which is supported by the wall a, and receives coil supporting .rods t, having reduced ends it resting in the pockets 1'. The coils o encircle the rods 25 which are ofporcelain, and are connected to the conductors already described. The supporting rods t are held in place by retaining okes w.

A heating unit t us constructed permits a free upward circulation of air for cooling and ventilating, and thus affords a quickly responsive action of the thermomotor. Further, the arrangement is economical and dur ble.

The invention is not confined to the precise arrangement shown, and my purpose may be carried out in other ways without departing from the underlying features of the improvement or the scope of the claims.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a thermomotor located in a horizontal plane and containing a vaporizable liquid, of an electric heater located beneath said motor, and a support for the heater provided with vertical openings permitting air to pass upwardly from below into contact with the, underside of and throu h the heater.

2. he combination with a thermomotor located in a horizontal plane and containing a va orizable 1i uid, of an electric heater located eneath sai motor in spaced relation thereto, and a support for the heater provided with vertical openin permitting air to pass upwardly from be ow into contact with the underside of and through the heater.

3. The combination with a thermomotor located in a horizontal plane and containing a, vaporizable liquid, of an electric heater located beneath the motor and supported by means which permits air currents to travel' upwardly from below into contact with the iunderside of and through the heater.

4. The combination with a thermomotor located in a horizontal plane and containing a vaporizable liquid, of an electric heater located beneath the motor in spaced relation thereto and supported by means which permits air to reach'the underside of the he frame R- movably mounted on the sleeve, and a thermomotor mounted upon the supporting means and connected to the actuated member.

6. The combination with a body portion and an actuated member movable therein, of

through the base, a thermomotor co6perating with the actuated member, an electric heater positioned beneath the thermomotor, a sectional juncton box surrounding the actuated member and removably positioned beneath said heater, and conductors leading from the junction box to the heater.

8. The combination with a supporting base including a vertical hollow standard, of an actuated member extending through the base, .a thermomotor cooperating with the actuated member, an electric heater positioned beneath the thermomotor,,a sectional junction box which is removable or positionable laterally with respect to said standard, and conductors leading from the junction box to the heater.

9. The combination with a supporting base, of an actuated member extending mounted on said standard, a terminal support arranged on said standard under the heater, a sectional junction box positioned under the terminal support upon said supporting base and removable laterally of the standard, and conductors leading from the junction box to the terminal support.

11. The combination with a supporting base including a vertical .hollow standard, of an actuated member extending through the standard, a thermomotor cooperating with the actuated member, an electric heater positioned beneath the thermomotor, a support for the heater having vertical openings which permit .free upward movement of air currents into contact with the under surface of the heater, a terminal support arranged beneath the heater and having of anactuated member extending through the standard, a thermomotor cooperating with the actuated member, an electric heater positioned under the thermomotor and spaced therefrom, a terminal support arranged beneath the heater in spaced relation, a junction box located beneath the terminal support, a cap above the thermomotor, spacing means positioned between said cap, heater, terminal support and supporting base respectively, and retaining devices connecting said supporting base and cap and holding the parts in assembled relationship.

13. The combination with a thermomotor containing a vaporizable liquid, of an electric heater positioned beneath the thermomotor comprising a framehaving oppositely arranged recesses, supporting rods resting in said recesses, resistance coils arranged on said rods, and a member connectedto and governed by the thermomotor.

' 14. The combination with a thermomotor containing a vaporizable liquid, of an electric heater positioned beneath the thermomotor comprising an annular frame having opposite recesses or pockets, resistance supporting rods with their ends resting in said pockets, resistance coils arranged on the rods, and a member connected to and governed by the thermomotor,

In witness whereof I Witness: a

H. PoILLON.

have hereunto 

